Improvement in car-couplings



F. A. FLEMING.

' fiar-tiouplings.

PatentedOct. 21,1873;

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FRANK A. FLEMING, 0 oUnwENsvILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEM ENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,752, dated October21, 1873; application filed March 12, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. FLEMING, of (lurwensville, in the county ofOlearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedv a new. and valuableImprovement in Car-Coupler; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawingsmaking a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

My invention relates to certain improvements in car-couplings; and itconsists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts ashereinafter particularly described.

In the drawing, A represents a draw-head, made of cast-iron in two ormore pieces, secured together by bolts. The upper side of the draw-headis entirely open, and the inolined lower side of the mouth is formed bya plate, or, placed between the sides, with a bolt, B, passing under itand through the two sides, and secured by a nut. The plate a is -made ofcast-iron, and is held in place by he ingfclamped tightly between theside pieces, so that, in case of breakage, it maybe readily removed andreplaced-said plate having a small lug or projection formed on each end,

fitting into corresponding depressions in the side pieces, so as toinsure its being held in place. The bolt B is placed about in a vertical"line with the rear edge of the plate a, so as to receive a portion ofthe strain from the coup ling-pin; or, if there be any variation, thebolt B should be slightly to the rear, so as to receive the greater partof the strain in preference to the cast-iron plate. G is a bar, the rearend of which is pivoted between the two sections of the draw-head, nearthe rear end of saiddraw-head. At a point near the mouth of thedraw-head a link, D, is hinged to the bar by a shoulder-joint similar tothat used in the attachment of the blades of pocket-knives to theirhandles, so thatthe link is free to swing upward and describe a completesemicircle in one direction, while the shoulder-joint d holds it in linewith the bar (1, and prevents it fiom hanging down, so that the link isheld in such a position as ,to insure its entering the mouth of theopposite draw-head when the cars are being coupled. In the bar 0,immediately in rear of the hinge-joint, is a hole, 0 for the coupling-pin E which is formed with a rounded head, 0. ()n the under side ofthe bar 0 the hole 0 slopes backward, so as to allow the pin to swingback far enough for the link to pass the lower end when the cars arebeing coupled. On the upper side of the bar, in

front of the hole C is a crescent-shaped cav-.

ity or depression, '0, in which the pin-head e sinks when the pin swingsback to allow the link to pass. G represents a shaft, which passesthrough the draw-head under the bar 0, and has a hand-wheel, g, attachedto each end. On the shaft Gr, between the two sides of the draw-head, isa toe-lifter, H, for liftmg the bar 0 to disengage the link andcouplingpin. The shaft G may be operated by the hand-wheels .g, or by alever, h, projecting upward from the shaft, so as to be operated fromthe platform.

When the cars are to be coupled, one of the links may be turned back outof the way, as shown in Fig. 1, if desired; but it is best to have bothlinks in a horizontal position, so

that when the cars come together to be coupled,

if any difference exists in the height of the respective draw-heads, oneof the hnks is sure to engage with the pin in the opposite drawhead, asthe link in the lowermost draw-head will pass under the bar in theopposite one and engage with the coupling-pin therein.

When it is desired to bring the cars together without coupling, asforthe purpose of pushing or backing, both links may be turned back out ofthe way, so as to prevent their engagement with the pins.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The bar 0, pivoted at its rear end to the draw-head, and carrying thelink D at its front end, hinged thereto by the shoulderjoint d,substantially as shown and described.

2. The swinging coupling-pin E, with its rounded head 6 engaging withthe cresce tshaped depression 0 and the inclined hole 0 in the lowerside of the bar 0, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have 'hereimto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK ,A. FLEMING.

. Witnesses:

GEO. E. UPHAM, .Tos. B. Looms.

